The stuff we do, in more detail

Touloumne Meadows

2010 July 28

by Elizabeth

Today we spent the day getting on the trail. It was full of hope, prayer, chance friendships, and cheeseburgers. All in all we sit in the tent tonight thinking, ‘Good day’.

We stayed the night last night in a somewhat questionable hotel. It seems $55 doesn’t go as far in California. So we were up early and out of bed as quickly as we could. Caught a shuttle to the Amtrak, to wait for the final bus of our trip in.

As we waited, we struck up a conversation with a fellow hiker. Hailing from England, he’d had a dickens of a time getting to the trail. Having missed his very first flight, it was all down hill from there. He was two days behind his traveling companions and still hoping to meet up with them. Having similar hiking paths, we stuck together all the way in.

Those who know our plans know we didn’t exactly have a permit to do the hiking we panned to do. So we were hoping and praying all the way in on the bus that we could get a permit at the door. Our new friend was going the same way, so we hoped there would be three. We made a pact that two left meant we would go, one meant he would. I secretly hoped for at least two.

It turns out there were two left when we got there. We got THE LAST TWO permits for the day. Unbelievable luck if you know my wife (this is John posting on Lizs phone).

Our new friend took it all in stride and made other arrangements. He still got in the park, just on another path. So we shared two bacon cheeseburgers and a garden burger lunch together and he struck out to find his friends.

We had the day to idle about Yosemite Valley, shop, and mail some things home before our FINAL FINAL bus came. We had time for one more burger, right? Of course.

So far we haven’t seen a ton but what we have seen is amazing. Everything is just out of proportion considering what we’re used to! Tomorrow we head out for a full day of hiking – mostly flat – that the people coming the other way say is the start to an incredible trip. We talked for quite some time to a couple that have already hiked many of the trails we aspire to hike over time and this one tops their lists as favorite. Sweet!